Elevated Serum Cholesterol Levels in Women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Abstract

Objectives: To study the association of premenstrual serum total cholesterol level (TC) with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Method: The premenstrual serum cholesterol levels of 34 patients with PMDD and 20 normal controls were measured, and the rates of hypercholesterolemia in the 2 groups were compared. Results: The mean of the premenstrual cholesterol level of the study group was 180.82 + 34.47 mg/dL, while that of the control group was 162.45 + 21.29 mg/dL ( t = 2.152, df = 52, p = 0.036). The prevalence of premenstrual hypercholesterolemia (serum total cholesterol > 200 mg/dL) was 23.53% (8/34) in the PMDD group and zero in the normal control group (chi-square=5.524, df = 1, p = 0.019). Conclusion: The results showed elevated premenstrual serum cholesterol in PMDD and implied a new direction of research to further explore the etiology of PMDD. It is suggested that the pathophysiology of premenstrual dysphoric disorder may be similar to that of anxiety disorders.